Archive for February, 2010

Last year, my partner Phil wrote a post about how Derek (our college-aged summer intern) used his iPhone in a creative way when injured in a mountain bike accident. Last week, we once again witnessed Derek demonstrating how today’s younger generation turns to technology first when confronted with everyday challenges. We arrived at Denver airport […]

As venture capitalists, one question we get asked all the time is “How do you value a seed or early-stage company?” The truth is that there really aren’t many tools. Later-stage companies are often valued based upon metrics such as discounted cash flows and revenue or earnings multiples. The challenge is that many of the […]

I’m thrilled to be taking on the role of Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Highway 12 Ventures. I’ve learned a lot from Phil, George, Glenn & Mark over the last couple of years, and am looking forward to learning a lot more as I embark on this new role. It’s a terrific group that I’m proud to be […]

As many of you know, last year we enjoyed a terrific experience and built a sure-to-be lifelong friendship with Tac Anderson, our first-ever Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR). Tac was a real visionary in the area of social media whose inspiring leadership galvanized the members of Boise’s innovative community like no one before him. Over the last several […]

Two years ago the folks at the Utah Fund of Funds introduced us to Jerry and Stan (CEO & President respectively) from TopTenReviews in Salt Lake City and were completely impressed with the amazing business they had built without raising any capital. They were looking to take the company to the next level and having […]

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the first Colorado Open Angel Forum (OAF). The OAF was born out of the frustration of some well-known investors including Brad Feld (An Angel Investor Group That Makes Me Vomit), David Cohen (An Offer To Funding Universe) and then inculcated and formed by Jason Calcanis (Why Startups […]

One of the unique characteristics of Highway 12 Ventures is the very diverse backgrounds of our four partners. We’ve all had very different career paths that intersected here and we bring very different skill sets to the firm and the companies we work with. Glenn’s background is in finance and operations. He’s been the CFO […]

(This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post) A couple of months ago, I met with a particular entrepreneur who was looking to raise capital for his startup. This guy acted particularly coy with me saying that he wasn’t sure we were the “right firm” or that I’d really “get” his business. Nevertheless, as he described […]

Every single day, my partners and I have to tell passionate entrepreneurs that we’re passing on an investment in their company. For me, saying “No” to someone who has poured his or her heart and soul into a start-up is hands down the hardest thing I have to do as a professional investor. Actually, it […]